Tales of Terror
| runtime = 89 min. | country = United States | language = English | budget = | gross = $1.5 million[http://www.tcm.com/thismonth/article/?cid=161104 Spotlight: Tales of Terror] from Turner Classic MoviesRoger Corman & Jim Jerome, How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never lost a Dime, Muller, 1990, , p 84 64,396 admissions (France)Box office information for Roger Corman films in France at Box Office Story }} Tales of Terror is a 1962 American International Pictures horror film, shot in color and Panavision, that was produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff, James H. Nicholson, and Roger Corman, who also directed. The screenplay was written by Richard Matheson, and the film stars Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Basil Rathbone. It is the fourth in the so-called Corman-Poe cycle of eight films largely featuring adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories directed by Corman for AIP. The film was released in 1962 on a double bill with Panic in Year Zero!. Plot The film uses an anthology format, presenting three short sequences based on the following Poe tales: "Morella", "The Black Cat" (which is combined with another Poe tale, "The Cask of Amontillado"), and "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar". Each sequence is introduced via voiceover narration by Vincent Price, who also appears in all three narratives. "Morella" When Lenora Locke (Maggie Pierce) travels from Boston to be reunited with her father (Vincent Price) in his decrepit and cobwebbed mansion, she finds him drunk, disordered, and depressed. He refuses her company, insisting that she killed her mother Morella (Leona Gage) in childbirth. Lenora then discovers her mother's body decomposing on a bed in the house. Lenora cannot return to Boston and remains in the house to care for her father. His feelings soften towards her when he learns she has a terminal illness. One night Morella's spirit rises, and kills Lenora in revenge for her childbed death. Morella's body is then resurrected, becoming as whole and as beautiful as she was in life. This is in exchange for Lenora's, which is now decomposing where Morella lay. Morella strangles her horrified husband as a fire breaks out in the house. Then Morella and Lenora return to their original bodies, Lenora smiling as she lies on her dead father, rotten Morella cackling as the flames consume the house. The cast includes Edmund Cobb as a coach driver. "The Black Cat" for black cats for "The Black Cat" segment in Tales of Terror, 1961]] Montresor Herringbone (Peter Lorre) hates his wife Annabelle (Joyce Jameson) and her black cat. One night on a ramble about town, he happens upon a wine tasting event and challenges the world's foremost wine taster, Fortunato Luchresi (Vincent Price), to a contest. Herringbone becomes drunk. Luchresi escorts him home and meets his wife. Time passes, and Annabelle and Luchresi become intimate. The cuckolded Herringbone then entombs them alive in an alcove in the basement. The authorities become suspicious and two policemen (John Hackett and Lennie Weinrib) visit the house to investigate. Hearing screeching behind a basement wall, they knock the wall down to discover the dead lovers — and Annabelle's black cat, which Herringbone had accidentally walled up with the lovers. Cast includes Wally Campo as bartender Wilkins and Alan DeWitt as the Wine-Tasting Chairman. "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" Dying from a painful disease, M. Valdemar (Vincent Price) employs a hypnotist, Mr. Carmichael (Basil Rathbone), to alleviate his suffering by putting him under various trances. He then remains between the world of the living and the dead. In a trance, Valdemar begs Carmichael to release his soul so he can die but Carmichael cruelly refuses. Months pass and Valdemar's putrefying body remains in his bed under the complete control of Carmichael. The hypnotist tries to force Valdemar's wife Helene (Debra Paget) to marry him. When she refuses, he attacks her. Valdemar's putrid body rises from the bed and kills Carmichael. Helene is rescued by Valdemar's physician (David Frankham) and carried from the scene of horror. Cast *Vincent Price as Fortunato/Valdemar/Locke *Maggie Pierce as Lenora Locke *Leona Gage as Morella Locke *Edmund Cobb as Driver *Debra Paget as Helene Valdemar *David Frankham as Valdermar's physician *Peter Lorre as Montresor Herringbone *Joyce Jameson as Annabel Herringbone *Basil Rathbone as Mr. Carmichael Production The film was announced in September 1961. It was shot in November 28.FILMLAND EVENTS: Poe-Pourri Film Cooks for Corman Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) Angeles, Calif 07 Sep 1961: B9.FILMLAND EVENTS: 'Tales of Terror' Adds Lorre to Cast Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File); Los Angeles, Calif. Angeles, Calif14 Oct 1961: A9 Corman commented on how Tales of Terror differed from his earlier film adaptations released by AIP: :With Tales of Terror, we tried to do something a little different. The screenplay was actually a series of very frightening, dramatic sequences inspired by several of the Poe stories. To break things up, we tried introducing humor into one of them..." The three stories in the film took a total of three weeks to film. For the conclusion of "Morella", Corman reused some sets and event footage from the fiery climax of House of Usher. The story Morella was remade in the 1990s as The Haunting of Morella. Price explained how the effect of slow decomposition was achieved in "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar": "We settled for an old-fashioned mud pack - it dries and draws the skin up and then cracks open." To give the impression of Vincent Price's face melting away, a mixture of glue, glycerin, corn starch and make-up paint was heated and then poured over his head. The substance was so hot that Price could only stand it for a few seconds. Richard Matheson's favorite of the stories was the final one, M. Valdemar. He thought it was "pretty well done. It was pretty straight, except I added the doctor and Valdemar's wife to the story... They acted it pretty well for a change."Lawrence French, "The Making of The Raven", The Raven novelization by Eunice Sudak, based on script by Richard Matheson, Bear Manor Media 2012 Reception The New York Times called the film a "dull, absurd and trashy adaptation."[https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B01E3D91131EF3BBC4D53DFB1668389679EDE July 5, 1962 review of Tales of Terror] and Burn, Witch, Burn from The New York Times At the film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film received 67% positive comments from 12 respondents.[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1021067-terror/ Tales of Terror (1962)] Rotten Tomatoes (Retrieved July 16, 2012) Time Out said the film was "elegant and funny, but the short-story format deprives Corman of the majestic, melancholic rhythm which characterizes his best work of this type."Tales of Terror Time Out (Retrieved July 16, 2012) Merchandise The film was released on DVD. Dell Comics published a comic book adaptation of the film. A novelization of the film was written in 1962 by Eunice Sudak, adapted from Richard Matheson's screenplay, which was published by Lancer Books in a mass market paperback. In 2011 La-La Land Records released on CD Les Baxter's music score from the "Morella" segment of Tales of Terror. It also features selections from his score used over the end credits for X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes. See also * List of American films of 1962 * List of ghost films References External links * * * * Category:1962 films Category:1962 horror films Category:American films Category:American comedy horror films Category:American International Pictures films Category:American mystery films Category:English-language films Category:Films based on multiple works Category:Films based on short fiction Category:Films based on The Black Cat Category:Films based on works by Edgar Allan Poe Category:Films directed by Roger Corman Category:Films produced by Roger Corman Category:Gothic horror films Category:Horror anthology films Category:Screenplays by Richard Matheson Category:Films adapted into comics